Get your motor running with these Vegas car attractions

Addicted to car porn? Can’t say that I blame you — cars are very sexy machines. If you can’t relate, maybe that’s because you’ve never heard the growl of a big block motor or felt it rumble through your chest, just waiting to unleash raw power. If talking about this makes your adrenaline spike higher than redlining RPMs, you’re going to want to pay attention to this list of car attractions in Vegas.

Driving Experiences

The only time you’ll look good in every color. Photo courtesy of Exotics Racing.

If you’ve ever waited for your family to fall asleep on a road trip so you could race the guy next to you, you’re going to love legally pushing the pedal to the metal. The best part is, there won’t be anyone screaming at you from the back seat because “slow down” isn’t even in our vocabulary.

NASCAR lovers will giggle like a school girl at the Richard Petty Driving Experience. Finally, a chance to feel what a 600 horsepower NASCAR race car can do on a real track, because you’re driving it on the world famous Las Vegas Motor Speedway. If Ferrari and Lamborghini are more your style, Exotics Racing and Dream Racing will train you to drive like a professional in some of the most prestigious brands in the world. Aston Martin, Porsche and Audi – oh my! Learn about racing lines, braking and steering techniques to see what these fine automotive specimens can really do.

American Muscle at its finest. Photo courtesy of Richard Petty’s American Muscle Car Challenge.

Not into imports? Maybe a little bit of American Muscle is what you need. At the American Muscle Car Challenge, you’ll go from 0 to 60 mph in just four seconds, reach 200 mph and then try to wipe the smile off your face the rest of the day. Chevy Camaro, Dodge Challenger and a specially-commissioned Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 are waiting for you at the F1-style starting line. *Please note that driving experiences at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway are not open if the track is in use.

Why drive in circles when you never really get anywhere? You must be a drag racing fan. If you’re all about g-forces, drive a quarter mile in 10 seconds with Pure Speed Drag Racing. Earn your NHRA license by racing one of the 800 horsepower dragsters on the straight course. The best part about this experience is that you can race your friends. In the side-by-side Camaro competition, you can leave your buddies in the dust.

Car Museums

Salute the General Lee from the Dukes of Hazzard. Photo courtesy of the Hollywood Cars Museum.

The most underrated supporting characters of all time, ladies and gentlemen: movie cars. The Hollywood Cars Museum is 30,000 square feet of the world’s most famous movie cars. You’ll see stars like the DeLorean from “Back to the Future,” Herbie the Love Bug, five James Bond vehicles including the Lotus Esprit submarine car (1977), the pink Hudson Hornet from “Porky’s,” a 1965 Mercedes Benz 220SE from the movie “The Hangover” and so many more.

Let’s talk about a little ole name that changed the face of the racing industry. The Carroll Shelby Heritage Center gives you a guided tour and the history of a true American dynasty. The race car driver turned automotive designer was responsible for the drool-worthy Shelby Cobra, Mustang GT500 and Terlingua, to name a few. Today, they’re still at the forefront of the auto industry and will let you talk shop with some of the mechanics inside the factory. They even encourage you to autograph their wall in the garage.

Fancy a spin in a classic? Photo courtesy of the Auto Collection at the LINQ Hotel & Casino.

The Auto Collections at the LINQ Hotel & Casino has a huge assortment of some of the most classic and rare cars on the planet. The exhibit is made of 300 cars that rotate pretty often, so you probably won’t see the same cars more than once. They range from vintage luxury cars like Rolls Royce to World War II military vehicles. See something you just can’t live without? It’s cool, many of the cars on display are for sale.

Reality TV Tour

Photo courtesy of Vegas Car Lovers & Memorabilia tour.

The Vegas Car Lovers tour takes you behind the scenes of two popular reality shows for gear heads. The Discovery Channel’s “Vegas Rat Rods” and the History Channel’s “Counting Cars” are both filmed in Las Vegas. Steve Darnell, the owner and lead designer for the garage Welder Up, specializes in creating tricked out rat rods. His team of fabricators turn these beefy hot rods into one-of-a-kind pieces of art that put “Mad Max” vehicles to shame. Danny Koker, of Count’s Kustoms, does pretty much the exact opposite. He takes old cars and restores them beyond their former glory – his garage breathes new life into them. Specializing in custom paint, upholstery and framework, the shop has been featured on MTV, VH-1 and the hit reality-show “Pawn Stars.”

Comments

Born a Buckeye - raised a Hoosier. I grew up in a one-horse town that straddles the Indiana/Ohio state line and until 2006, was in two different time zones. There were three stoplights and a whopping 48 students in my graduating class. Fast forward a few years later, I was bitten by the travel bug and decided to head west. It seems like no matter how long I live here, there’s always something that still makes my jaw drop. That’s what I love about Vegas; you never know what you’re going to see next and that’s what makes living here so much fun. Basically, if you’re bored in this town, there’s something wrong with you…not the city. I’m an avid traveler with an incurable case of wanderlust so stay tuned for all the tours, attractions and shopping adventures that Sin City has to offer.